River of Sorrow
“River of Sorrow”（江河水）
Performed by MIN Hui Fen （閔惠芬 1945-2014）(6:32)
For three decades, this piece kicked off the annual candlelight vigil at Victoria Park of Hong Kong (HK). It was played when participants observed silence to commemorate victims of China’s 1989 Tiananmen Square Massacre.
For the second successive year, the vigil is banned by the HK police. Police cited the 4-person group gathering ban in light of the Covid-19 pandemic. Organizers, the HK Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China, told HongKongers to light a candle at 8 pm of June 4, wherever they are, at home or in the street. That cannot be in any way against the law, the spokesman said. For details:
HK police officially ban Tiananmen Massacre park vigil for second successive year
By Selina Cheng
Hong Kong Free Press (27 MAY 2021)
This piece has come a long way in Chinese history. Music experts said its origin could be traced back to the Tang Dynasty (618-907, the imperial dynasty at the time of Silk Road). It was played by the military band when the army was marching out or celebrating victory. Overtime, the melody or tone color or rhythm changed. It has evolved into a piece for mourning. It was originally played by Chinese wind instrument (northern style). That version is available at YouTube.
In the early 1960s, composer HUANG Hai Huai（黃海懷 1935-1967）rearranged this piece for erhu (the Chinese violin, a vertical fiddle with two strings), accompanied by yangqin, the Chinese hammered dulcimer. It was divided into three sections and this version became the standard. This piece gone into scene 1 of the communist-style musical “The East is Red”（東方紅）(filmed in October 1965). Scene 1 depicted the pre-liberation era and Chinese workers were exploited by “foreign devil” (imperialism). This piece could be heard in the background.
“River of Sorrow”（江河水）in “the East is Red”（東方紅）(6:58)
The opening scene depicted pre-liberation era and Chinese workers were killed by “foreign devil”. “River of Sorrow” begins at 2:01.
Nowadays, you can find this piece played by Chinese or Western instruments on YouTube but the erhu version remains the most popular. This piece came from the army and was used for propaganda but HK changed its meaning. Music belongs to everyone. It is only the establishment who thinks that it can own it. In the words of American composer Aaron Copland (1900-1990), “To stop the flow of music would be like the stopping of time itself, incredible and inconceivable.”
My Chinese articles on communist-style propaganda music:
紅歌（一）
2012 年 10 月 1 日
紅歌（二）
2012 年 10 月 11 日
黃河協奏曲
2007 年 5 月 24 日
活罪
2010 年 5 月 21 日
领英推荐
國產中樂本土化（二）
2008 年 7 月 10 日
Further readings:
Hong Kong set to dismantle Tiananmen vigil host ahead of China's National Day
Three leaders of the HK Alliance charged with incitement to subversion
Global Voices (September 11, 2021)
Written by?Oiwan Lam
Top Hong Kong democrats sentenced over banned 2020 Tiananmen Massacre vigil
A total of 24 people have been charged over the vigil, which was banned by the police last year citing Covid-19 health concerns.
Hong Kong Free Press (September 15, 2021)
Written by?CANDICE CHAU
Security law: Hong Kong police order Tiananmen Massacre vigil group to delete online content
The Alliance said that they will remove their website, Facebook page, Instagram page, Twitter account, and YouTube channel at 10 p.m. on Thursday.
Written by?CANDICE CHAU
Hong Kong Free Press (September 16, 2021)
Hong Kong Tiananmen Massacre vigil group disbands following pressure from authorities
Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China, founded in the wake of the 1989 Tiananmen Massacre, riled Beijing by advocating an end to one-party rule.
Written by?TOM GRUNDY
Hong Kong Free Press (September 25, 2021)
Updated Sept 26, 2021
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